


Espresso Yourself

by hobbit_hedgehog



Series: Like You a Latte [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Featuring the prettiest damn cat on the planet, Fluff, I'm sorry it kind of got away from me, M/M, Meet-Cute, bad coffee puns, oh god this is so fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-08-05
Packaged: 2018-07-29 11:12:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7682194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hobbit_hedgehog/pseuds/hobbit_hedgehog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sawamura promises he comes to Espresso Yourself for more than just Suga's cat Parsnip.  He promises.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Espresso Yourself

**Author's Note:**

> I 100% blame DisappearingOctopus for this fic. I 100% blame myself for the fluff getting out of hand. This fic is dedicated to Parsnip the Cat, the prettiest princess on the planet and her owner for letting me immortalize Parsnip in this fic. I can never do Her Highness justice. You can find Parsnip and her brother Petrie on Instagram at @two_tiny_peas. Parsnip is the rockstar with the gorgeous blue eyes and the neck floof.
> 
> Enjoy!

The dark haired hunk—what was his name? Sawamura, Suga thought—was back again. The small bell above the door tinkled as Sawamura pushed the pale blue door open and hesitantly stepped inside Espresso Yourself. He gave Suga a small, almost embarrassed wave and sat at what Suga referred to as Sawamura's usual table, a pastel green bistro table by the window. Suga's cat Parsnip, who had tracked Sawamura's movements from her counter-side perch, leapt down to the floor and padded her way over to him. She jumped up onto the table and sat down just outside of his reach. Sawamura smiled at the small cat before he began drumming his fingers on the table top. He continued to drum his fingers as he moved his hand around, laughing softly as the formerly disinterested cat followed his fingers with jerky head movements. Suga watched the scene unfold with a gentle smile on his face, the look on Sawamura's face tugging at his heartstrings.

"So, are you planning on letting me take his order so you can keep staring at him, or are you actually going to go talk to him today?" Suga's waiter Tsukishima asked. "Because as much fun as it is to watch you drool all over this guy, it's getting a little ridiculous."

Suga turned to glare at Tsukishima before asking, "You do know that I'm your boss right?"

"You do know that I have a point right?" Tsukishima retorted. 

"He does have a point," Suga's longtime friend and pastry chef Asahi said from the kitchen doorway while his apprentice Yamaguchi nodded in agreement.

"Seriously, your antisocial cat's interacted with him more than you," the other barista Nishinoya added. "Go take his order. Make small talk. Get some digits."

"Can you guys talk any louder?" Suga groaned with exasperation.

"We'll stop if you talk to him," Tsukishima deadpanned.

"Alright alright," grumbled Suga as he snatched the order pad from Tsukishima. "Oh, and Tsukki?"

"Don't call me Tsukki," Tsukishima snapped.

"Tsukki, do me a favor," Suga continued. "Take that sass and put it in your pocket." With that, Suga strolled out from behind the counter to take Sawamura's order, smirking to himself as the rest of the Espresso Yourself crew snorted at Tsukishima's outburst of "What does that even mean?" Suga stopped in front of Daichi's table, one hand resting on the table as the other reached down to pet Parsnip before he said, "You must be some kind of miracle worker, because you are the only person I've seen her interact with for more than two minutes. She gives most people the stink eye and avoids like the plague."

Sawamura looked up at Suga with a sheepish grin, "I have to admit, I have no idea how it happened. I'm more of a dog person."

Suga was glad that he had one hand braced on the table and the other on Parsnip because it stopped him from stagger backwards while clutching his chest. It was entirely unfair for Sawamura to look the way he did AND have a voice like that. Cute face, nice legs, deep voice, Suga was a goner. Suga realized he must have been staring because Sawamura was giving Suga a strange look. Right. Talking. That was a thing he was supposed to be doing. 

"I'm sure I can overlook that character flaw this one time," Suga managed to squeak out, his face turning redder by the second. Sawamura chuckled at that and Suga gave him a weak smile in return. Nailed it.

"Well, given how stunning of a cat she is, I may become a cat person yet," Sawamura admitted as he directed some of his attention back to Parsnip.

"Well given how often I see you in here, I'm inclined to believe you," Suga joked. 

Parsnip took that as her cue to leave and jumped off the table, bee lining for her usual perch. Suga and Sawamura watched her go before turning their attention back towards each other. The atmosphere turned a little tense and the pair blurted out at the same time.

"I promise I'm in here for more than just the cat."

"Not that it's a bad thing you're in here, I like seeing you in here."

They both froze, staring at each other before blurting out in unison.

"I mean, I like having regular customers and you're definitely a regular at this point."

"The coffee's really good here and you seem really interesting, but you're always behind the counter."

They both froze again, waiting for the other to speak. Sawamura gestured for Suga to go first while Suga shook his head, indicating that he wanted Sawamura to start. Sawamura raised an eyebrow before his face cracked and he started laughing. Suga let out a small snort of his own and covered his mouth his hand, shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Sounds like you've got a latte on your mind," Suga managed to choke out.

"Did you just make a coffee pun at me?" Sawamura asked. "That's pretty dorky."

"My shop's called Espresso Yourself and you're surprised I'd make a coffee pun at you?" Suga retorted.

"I suppose not," Sawamura admitted. "But now that you've mentioned lattes, I suppose I should actually order something, right?"

Right. He was in here for the coffee. Not to be ogled at by Suga. "Sure, what can I get you?" Suga asked, lifting the order pad and trying not to seem too disappointed.

"What's your favorite thing on the menu?" Sawamura asked.

That threw Suga for a bit of a loop; asking him to pick a favorite on a menu he personally created was like asking him to pick a favorite child. After a few moments of thinking Suga gave Sawamura a shrug and replied, "Probably our Mocha."

"I haven't tried that before," Sawamura said. "Can I have one of those?"

"Of course," Suga replied, jotting down the order on the pad. "The name on that's Sawamura, right?"

"Daichi works," Sawamura commented. "If I'm a regular, I might as well give my given name."

"Daichi," Suga repeated as he wrote the name, wanting to test it out for himself. He found he liked the way it sounded coming from his own mouth. "I'll be right back with that Daichi. I'm Sugawara, I mostly go by Suga. I own the place," Suga told Daichi, smiling brightly at him. As he turned to walk back to the counter, he noted that Daichi's face turned slightly pinker at the use of his name. Score one for Koushi. 

Behind the counter, everyone was watching Suga expectantly, except Tsukishima, who was watching Suga with the same level of apathy that he had for everything that wasn't Yamaguchi. Suga elected to ignore them as he set to work on Daichi's mocha. Suga could tell that they were itching to bother him, so he turned to the amassed group and hissed, "Don't you all have something to be working on?"

"Yeah, but watching you two is more fun," Nishinoya commented.

"You all are the worst," Suga grumbled as he made the espresso shot. Once that was done, he added it to one of the "to stay" mugs along with some chocolate syrup and set about making the steamed milk.

"So, did you get any digits yet?" Nishinoya pressed.

"No, I haven't," Suga told him as he added the steamed milk to the mug.

"What's stopping you?" Asahi asked through the window into the kitchen.

"What's stopping me from cutting off that ridiculous bun of yours?" Suga asked sweetly as he placed the mug on a small saucer. Asahi let out a small, offended yelp and ducked down away from Suga. Suga let out a snort and picked up the saucer. One of these days he'd tell Asahi that he actually liked his hair, but after the grief his workers had given him today, he was allowed to be a bit of a jerk.

Suga approached Daichi's table and set the drink down, smiling at him again and asked, "Anything else I can get for you Daichi?"

"Your phone number would be nice," Daichi commented before flushing bright red and clamping his mouth shut.

Suga felt his own face flush a bright red as he, the peak of eloquence, stammered out, "U-um."

"Oh god, I'm so sorry," Daichi groaned, covering his face with his hands. "That was super impolite, you're working and that was scummy of me. I am so sorry."

Suga bit his lip and muttered, "To be honest, I was going to ask you for yours and I'm a little relieved that you asked me before I could make an idiot of myself and I'm going to stop talking and give you my number before I start rambling and embarrass myself although I think it's probably a little late for that."

Daichi lowered his hands and stared up at Suga. The embarrassed look on his face morphed into a goofy, lopsided grin as he asked, "You wanted to ask me for my number?"  
Rather than respond, Suga removed the order pad from his pocket. Daichi flashed him an amused look and took a couple sips of Mocha to keep himself from laughing. He quickly scrawled his name and phone number on the top piece of paper before he ripped it off and presented it to Daichi, doing his best to maintain eye contact and not act like some shy school kid. Daichi took the piece of paper from Suga and gave it a once over, grin still plastered on his face. Daichi glanced up at Suga, "So, no first name yet?"

Suga gave Daichi a sly grin, "That's third or fourth date material. Gotta work for it."

"Ah, and here I thought coming into your shop two or three times a week would work in lieu of a third or fourth date," Daichi joked.

"You said you were here for my cat and my coffee," Suga teased Daichi. "Also, is that your way of saying you don't want to ask me out?"

"Well if you're gonna give me attitude," Daichi began, earning him a gentle smack on the head with Suga's order pad. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" Daichi pulled his phone from his pocket and programmed Suga's number into it (he added a coffee cup emoji and a cat emoji, cute). He sent a quick message to Suga and Suga's phone chimed in his pocket. Suga fished his own phone out of his pocket and programmed Daichi's number into it (he tilted his phone away so Daichi couldn't see the arm flex emoji and the prayer hands emoji Suga added next to his name).

"As much as I don't want to, I have to get going soon," Daichi said with no small amount of regret, looking up from his phone. "I made the mistake of telling my friends that I was coming to the café with the pretty barista and the even prettier cat, and they told me if they didn't hear from me in half an hour, they were going to come find me. And trust me, you don't want the Trio of Terror in here."

"Understandable," Suga laughed. "You do have my phone number now, so you can stop stalking Parsnip and I."

"Are you busy tonight?" Daichi asked suddenly. "If you are it's fine, I just-."

"We close at 5," Suga interrupted. "And Parsnip and I live above the shop, so you can drop by around 6. I can make you dinner."

"Can I bring you something instead?" Daichi asked. "I'd hate to make you cook after I'm the one who asked to see you."

Suga chuckled, "Sure. I like spicy food."

"Perfect," Daichi grinned, downing the last of his coffee and pulling out his wallet.

"It's on the house," Suga quickly said, placing his hand on Daichi's. "You're buying me dinner later, so we're even."

Daichi seemed surprised by the gesture, but smiled and nodded at Suga. Suga flashed him a wide smile and withdrew his hand. He picked up Daichi's empty cup and murmured, "See you at six?"

"See you at six," Daichi agreed before turning and walking out the door.

The moment Daichi left, Suga rounded on his workers and said, "This is now a 'Gang up on Suga' free zone. Ok? None of you are allowed to give me shit for the rest of the day. Effective immediately. You all have ruined my life."

"That was adorable Suga," Asahi commented from the kitchen doorway at the same time Tsukishima muttered from the pastry case, "That was disgustingly cute."

"Oh, don't be like that Tsukki," Yamaguchi teased. "You were smiling a bit."

Tsukishima grumbled something to the effect of, "Was not" and turned back to restocking the pastry case. Nishinoya seemed awfully quiet, so Suga turned to him, "Well?"

"Do you wanna borrow my fancy underwear, or are you sticking with the shrimp boxers?" Nishinoya asked.

The café went quiet for a beat before everyone minus Suga erupted into hysterical laughter. Tsukishima was doubled over the pastry case shaking as he hid his face in his arms. Nishinoya gave Suga a smug smile and clapped him on the back. Asahi and Yamaguchi were trying their best to not laugh at the expression on Suga's face. Suga hadn't blushed that hard in his life. Ever.

"Right," Suga said, trying to save whatever dignity he had left. "Any further comments will result in Asahi's pay being docked."

That snapped Asahi out of it pretty damn quick, "What did I do?!"

"Nothing, you're just the easiest target," Suga replied as he picked Parsnip up and carried her upstairs. A load groan followed him up the stairs and Suga grinned to himself. He had a date to prep for.

***

It was 5:30 by the time Suga had fully shut down Espresso Yourself and sent the others home for the day. Suga sent Daichi a quick message about coming over whenever he wanted and set about tidying up his apartment. Parsnip watched Suga from under a wooden chair, her dazzling blue eyes narrowed as she followed his footsteps. Whenever Suga stepped too close to her hiding spot, she would look up at him and chirp, resulting in Suga pausing to fawn over the cappuccino colored cat. 

"I'm having company over tonight Parsnip," Suga told her as he scooped her into his arms. "You know the nice, attractive man from the café that you seem to like. The one with the arms and the thighs."

Parsnip merely squirmed in Suga's grip and squeaked in response, so Suga set her down on the floor and continued his cleaning spree. At 5:50, Suga's phone pinged with a new text message and Suga had to stop himself from leaping across the room for it. Suga's face fell when he realized it was not a text from Daichi, but a text from Nishinoya.

[From: Nishinoya Yuu]: My offer of fancy underwear still stands if you need it ;)

Suga scowled at his phone, tempted to send back a list of unpleasant things he could do to Nishinoya when his phone started ringing. The screen flashed Daichi's name and Suga's stomach began to flutter. God, he was nervous. With a deep breath, Suga answered the phone and hoped that he at least sounded like he wasn't a wreck.

"Hey Daichi," he said, mentally kicking himself for how breathless he sounded.

"Hey Suga, I'm downstairs. I wasn't sure if the shop was unlocked or not, so I decided I'd just give you a call instead."

"Yeah, the shop's locked," Suga confirmed. "I'll be down in a minute." Suga took an extra minute to check himself out in the mirror before deeming himself well dressed and definitely second date worthy. He scooped Parsnip into his arms one last time and looked her dead in the eye before muttering, "Don't blow this for us."

Parsnip gently batted at Suga's noise and he set her down, watching as she darted for his bedroom. Suga gave her a fond smile and made his way downstairs to let Daichi in. Daichi was waiting patiently outside with a bag of takeout and a gentle smile that only got bigger when he saw Suga approaching. Suga returned the smile and waved before he unlocked the door to the café.

"Welcome to Espresso Yourself, the After Hours Edition," Suga said as he held the door open for Daichi.

"I'm honored," Daichi replied, glancing around dimly lit café.

"Just wait until you see what's behind the curtain," Suga grinned as he motioned for Daichi to follow him up the stairs.

"I'm not gonna lie, if you turn out to be a really cute hologram controlled by some wrinkly old man, I'm gonna be a little upset," Daichi joked.

"And here I was, inviting you into my home with all the kindness I have in my heart," Suga whined with mock offense.

"Let's be real, I'm here for Parsnip," Daichi teased.

"I don't blame you, to be honest," Suga said as he let Daichi inside his apartment. "She's a supermodel of a cat."

As if on cue, Parsnip trotted up to Suga. She stopped short to stare at Daichi before turning back to Suga and winding herself around his legs. Suga bent down and picked up the tiny cat, snuggling his face into her fur. Suga heard Daichi chuckle nearby and he felt his stomach do a small flip; he would definitely never get tired of hearing Daichi's laughter. With a deep, steadying breath, Suga set Parsnip down and straightened to smile at Daichi.

"So, dinner?"

***

"So why did someone like Tsukishima even apply for Espresso Yourself?" Daichi asked hours later as he dug into a slice of cake from the café downstairs. "He doesn't seem like the type to work in a pastel café with a cat like Parsnip as a mascot."

"Honestly, I have no idea," Suga admitted, vaguely aware that he and Daichi had exactly two inches of room between the two of them on Suga's couch. "He showed up one day shortly after we first opened with a resume and Tadashi in tow. Asahi and I needed the help, so we took them without much preamble. They've been here ever since."

"How long ago was that?"

"About a year and a half, I think," Suga guessed. "As much as I've trash talked my coworkers, I really do appreciate all that they do for me in the shop. If it weren't for them, I doubt Espresso Yourself would have lasted this long. My coffee is amazing, I know that, but it takes more than good coffee to keep a shop afloat."

"Well, I'm sure Parsnip helps a bit," Daichi jokingly pointed out before taking another bite of cake.

"I'd be lying if I said her Instagram didn't attract a fair amount of customers," Suga conceded. "She's quiet the star."

Daichi opened his mouth to say something, but must have thought better of it, because he quickly shoveled the remainder of his cake into his mouth. Suga snorted and handed him a napkin from the coffee table.

"Charming," he said as Daichi sheepishly took it and wiped his face. The pair lapsed into a comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's company. Daichi shifted so that he and Suga were pressed together side by side and Suga leaned his head onto Daichi's shoulder. Daichi shifted so Suga's head slid down to a more comfortable position and wrapped an arm around Suga's shoulder. Suga flushed at the gesture, smiling up at Daichi. Daichi returned the smile and the two resumed cuddling.

"It's Koushi, by the way," Suga whispered. "My first name. It's Koushi."

"I thought that was third date material," Daichi teased.

"Usually, yeah," Suga replied. "But I figured I could make an exception."

"It suits you," Daichi said before they lapsed into silence again. "Thank you for inviting me over tonight," Daichi murmured after a few minutes. "It was nice to finally get to know you after weeks of wondering what sort of person you were."

"Thank you for asking me for my number," Suga replied. "I was willing to let Tsukki keep taking your order so I could stare at you and make your drinks from the safety of my work space. Though now that I said that out loud, that seems a little creepy."

Daichi let out a small huff of laughter, the movement jostling Suga a bit. Suga gave Daichi's shoulder a gentle headbutt before he settled back into place. Daichi shifted again so he was leaning against the arm of Suga's couch before tugging Suga into his lap. Suga reached up and brushed his hand across Daichi's cheek, his hand moving to cup the other's cheek.

"I know it's only our first date, but may I kiss you?" Suga asked.

"I thought you'd never ask," Daichi murmured seconds before Suga gently pressed his lips to Daichi's.

It was a gentle kiss, nothing more than a soft press of lips. Daichi carefully wound his arms around Suga's waist while Suga moved his hands to run through Daichi's short hair. The two stayed locked together for a few minutes, content with lazy kisses, when a small warning meow caught the pair's attention. They broke apart in time to see Parsnip jump onto the coffee table, acting as if the two not paying her attention was the greatest offense in the world.

"Is Parsnip jealous?" Daichi asked as the small cat sat and glared at the pair.

"Yeah, Her Highness gets mad when I stop paying attention to her," Suga muttered with a sigh. "Next time we can move somewhere else so she won't interrupt."

"So there's a next time?" Daichi pressed, running one hand up and down Suga's back.

"Of course there will be," Suga replied before he pressed a kiss to Daichi's neck. "But I'm also not done with you yet tonight."

***

Two weeks later, Tsukishima and Nishinoya watched as Suga took an order of Mocha over to where Sawamura was sitting (his usual seat by the window). Suga placed the mug on the table and leaned over to press a quick kiss to Daichi's temple before petting Parsnip, who had stretched herself out across the majority of Sawamura's table.

"Don't you have something better to do than watch Suga talk to his boyfriend?" Tsukishima asked, making a half-assed attempt at giving his boss some privacy.

"Don't you?" Nishinoya retorted. "Besides, this is quality entertainment. Look."

Across the café, they could see Suga lean over and whisper something in Daichi's ear. Whatever it was must have been too much to handle in that moment, because Daichi flushed red and buried his face in his hands. Suga gave his boyfriend an innocent smile and ruffled his hair before sauntering back towards his coworkers. Daichi buried his face into Parsnip's side, resulting in a mildly offended squeak from the cat.

"What was that about?" Asahi questioned Suga as he walked into the kitchen.

"Oh nothing," Suga replied. "I just told him that I like him a latte."


End file.
